


Grimes’ Love

by Lucy_Tom11



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Pre-Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-05-01 17:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19182427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Tom11/pseuds/Lucy_Tom11
Summary: Alexa Morton is leaving her life in Atlanta, Georgia, behind and is hoping to start a new one with her daughter in the small town of King County. She's definitely not looking for romance, but maybe that will change when she meets a certain blue-eyed sheriff.Rick Grimes is finally happy. After his divorce, he found love in his long-time friend, Mandy Bennett, and he really believes this time it’s forever. That is until he meets his ex-wife's new neighbor and soon-to-be partner.But their romance will not be perfect. There will be people trying to break them apart. Will they succeed? Or will Rick and Alexa fight against everyone and form a beautiful family?





	1. Copyright

This story is mine and mine only! Despite thinking that no one is going to steal my stories (since they aren't that good), all rights are reserved to me!


	2. A/N

Hello!!!! I'm back!!!!

So sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been having writer's block, and work is not helping either. But, I'm back and I'll try to update as much as I can this week.

Another thing, I changed Alexa's profession. She's now going to be a cop. I thought about it and came to the realization that if she was a nurse and just Lori's neighbor, she wouldn't interact much with Rick, which is not what I want to happen. So, with her now working with him, they will spend almost every day together which will lead to the start of their relationship.

Thank you to everyone that is still reading this story and I'm sorry for the long wait. 


	3. Prologue

_ 2000 _

**Alexa’s P.O.V**

“Get out of this house!”

“But-”

“But, nothing! I will not let my son raise a child that’s not his! Now, get out!”

“It’s his! How many times do I have to tell you!”

“Oh, he told me about what you did. I will not believe anything else that comes out of your mouth.”

“I didn’t do anything, he-”

“Enough! Out. Now.”

I shake my head, turn around, and leave the house. My sister comes running to me when she sees me.

“So? What happened? Did you tell her?”

“She didn’t even listen. He had already told her what he’s been telling everyone...let’s just go home.”

“Alexa...”

“Leave it, Julie. It’s better this way. Let’s go.”

We leave. I look back one more time to see him smirking by his bedroom window. I shake my head and keep on walking. _It’s better this way._


	4. Chapter 1

 

_ 2006 _

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“Do you have everything?”

“Yes, Julie. You already asked me that 100 times.”

"I just want to make sure you don't forget anything."- She looks at me and sighs.- "Do you really have to go?"

“Yes. It’s time for me and Leah to leave you guys be a family and-”

“You are part of that family.”

“I know. But, you have two kids and whether you want to admit it or not, you need the space. And we can start a new life in King County. It will be good for all of us.”

“Hey, maybe you’ll find some hot guy and finally start dating again.”

“I’m not going there looking for a boyfriend. Besides, I doubt there will be a guy willing to raise another man’s daughter.”

“Not every man is like that asshole. There are still good ones.”

“Yeah, yeah. It doesn’t matter. I’m only going to focus on raising my daughter and on my job. Everything else is not important.”

“Alexa-”

“Mommy, mommy! Look what me, Becky and Brett did!”

We look to the stairs where my six-year-old is running down them, followed by her four-year-old cousins.

“Leah! How many times do I have to tell you not to run down or up the stairs? You can fall and hurt yourself. And you also know that your cousins do whatever you do.”

She stops and then calmly walks the rest of the steps towards us, her head down.

“Sorry mommy, aunt Julie. I just wanted to show you this.”

Raising her head, she extends her hand and shows me the [bracelets ](https://i.ibb.co/fqC89kc/chapter-1-bracelets.jpg)that they did. I smile and pick them up.

“They’re beautiful.”

“It’s so that we won’t forget about each other.”

"Leah, you know that we'll come to visit as much as we can."

"Your mother's right, sweetheart. And I and your cousins will also go and visit you guys."

She shrugs and rocks back and forth on her heels. I know this is being hard for her. She grew up in this house. Saw her cousins also grow up here.

“Alright. Do you have everything packed, baby?”

“Yes, mommy.”

“Okay, let’s go get them. It’s time for us to go.”

The five of us walk upstairs and to mine and Leah's room. She used to sleep in another room, but then Becky and Brett were born and we had to vacate the room to them.

After grabbing the bags, we go back downstairs and leave the house. Julie’s boyfriend is busy at work and couldn’t say goodbye to us, but I don’t really mind. I don’t like him much.

“Make sure to call me when you arrive and drive safely, you hear me?”

"Yes, mom. Don't worry Julie. Goodbye, big sister."

"Goodbye, little sister."- We hug each other and then she hugs Leah, while I hug my nephew and niece.- "Be good for your mom and good luck on starting school. I'm sure you're going to do great."

“Thank you, aunt Julie.”

We all hug each other one last time and then Leah and I leave. During the two hour drive to King County, we both sing at the top of our lungs and make silly faces. When we arrive, we take out our bags from the car and walk the steps to the front door.

“Are you ready, baby?”

“Yes, mommy. Let’s see our new house.”

She looks up at me grabs my hand. I smile at her and open the door, the smell of new hitting my nose. This is our new home. This is our new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making a few changes in the story, nothing major. Just some dates and a bit of the plot.


	5. Chapter 2

 

**Rick’s P.O.V.**

“No.”

“Come on, Rick. It’s just this time, I promise.”

“Shane, I’m not going to do your paperwork so that you can leave early to go on a date.”

“Why? Are you and Mandy doing something?”

“No, she took the weekend off to go visit her parents.”

“Is it Carl?”

“No, I’m taking him to Lori tonight after he comes from his friend’s house.”

“Then you can stay a bit longer! Come on, man. I’ll make it up to you, I swear!”

I look at him and see him smirk at me. God, I hate him so much!

“Fine! Just this time. And you’re making my paperwork and yours for the next week. It’s for the other time you also promised to make it up to me.”

“Alright, I’ll do it. Thanks, man. I owe you.”

“Oh, you bet.”- My phone then starts ringing and I smile when I see the caller ID.

“Let me guess. Mandy.”

“Shut it. Go away.”- He snorts and leaves me alone, and I pick up the phone.- “Hey.”

“ _Hey, baby. How’s work?”_

“Calm, which is good. How are your parents?”

“ _They’re fine. My mom told me she wants to see you next time.”_

“Tell her I will visit them on my next day off. When are you coming back?”

“ _Tomorrow. Why? Miss me already?”_

“I do, actually. I-”

“ _Oh! I’m sorry, Rick. I have to go. I’ll see you soon baby, bye.”_

She hangs up before I can utter another word, but I swear I heard a male voice. And it was not her father’s.

“Rick?”

I look up and see Lambert at the door.

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“We just got a call. Hit and run.”

“Alright. Let me just grab my things and I’ll be right outside.”

“Are you ok? You look suspicious.”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure? You know I’m here if you need to talk.”

"I know, thank you, Lambert. But I'm fine, I promise."

“If you say so. We’ll be waiting for you outside.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He nods and leaves. Sighing, I get up from my chair, grab my gun, badge, and hat, and leave my office. When I'm outside, I see Shane in our car waiting for me.

“Are you alright?”- Is the first thing he asks when he sees me.

“Fine. Did Lambert tell you the address of where the accident took place?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Good, let’s go then.”

“Rick-”

“We’ll talk later, Shane. Alright?”

He looks at me for a few seconds and then nods. We get inside the car and I drive us to the place where the accident happened. But that voice can’t get out of my head.


	6. Chapter 3

 

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“Alright, are you ready?”

“Yes, mommy!”

“Good. And remember, the winner gets to choose what we’ll have for dinner. _And…_ no cheating.”

“I don’t cheat! You are the one that cheats at games!”

“Leah! How could you? I would never!”

I place my hand on my chest, pretending to be offended by what she said. She just crosses her arms, leans sideways and stares at me with such a serious face, I’m having trouble trying not to laugh. But, after a few more seconds of our staring contest, I lose. As always, and start laughing.

“Alright, alright, you’re right. But I promise I won’t cheat this time. Ok, let’s begin. In one. Two. Three. Go!”

We both race down the hallway to our bedrooms and start cleaning them and placing everything in its place. It's a game we used to do with my sister. As I would grow up, I didn't like to clean the house. So Julie invented this game in that the first one to clean their respective room (bedroom, kitchen,…), would choose what we would have for dinner. And we continued to play it, even as grown adults. And we teach it to Leah, and she’s also going to teach it to her kids.

“Mommy! I need your help!”

“In a second, baby!"- I place my toothbrush in its place and walk the short distance to Leah's room.- "Hey, what do you need?"

“Can you help me with hanging my clothes?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

We are quick to take care of the clothes and I then help her finish cleaning the room. She helps me with mine and we then go clean all of the other rooms in the house. Soon after everything is clean and in its place, we sit down on the sofa, both tired.

“Can I choose dinner, mommy?”

I look at her, smile and kiss her cheek. She did win so, it’s only fair.

“You can, baby.”

“Awesome! Can we have pizza? Please?”

"You know we can't eat pizza every day."

"I know. I know it's not healthy, but it's just today. And I know you don't want to cook, do you?"

“You have a point. Alright, we can have pizza, but just today.”

“Yes! I’ll go get the phone!”

She gets up and runs to go grab the phone. I chuckle and jump in surprise when the doorbell rings. Sighing, I get up and walk to the front door. When I open it, I’m met with a pair of beautiful blue eyes. And the owner it’s not that bad either.  _Snap out of it, Alexa!_

“Hum, hello. How can I help you?”

“Hi. I’m Rick Grimes, this is my son, Carl. We saw that the blinds were open and decided to come and say hello.”

I look down and see a little boy, not much older than my daughter and smile at him. He smiles big at me and I see that he has the same blue eyes as his father.

“Well, it’s very nice of you. I’m Alexa and-”

“Mommy! The phone!”- Leah come running to me but stops short when she sees the new people at our door.- “Oh! Hello!”

She waves happily at them and Rick chuckles at her while Carl waves back.

“ _And_ this is my daughter Leah. Leah, this is Rick and his son Carl. They came to say hi.”

“Hi, Leah.”- Rick tells her and she says hi back. He smiles.- “You haven’t been here long, have you? Because I just passed by here last week, and everything was closed.”

“No, we actually moved yesterday. We just finished getting everything in its place."

“That’s good. It’s good to have new people in town. I’m sure you’re going to love it here.”

“Yeah, I hope so. We moved from the big city to the small town. But I’m sure we will.”

“You came from Atlanta? Just the two of you?”

"Yeah. We used to live with my sister, but we needed a change. And I saw an opportunity here and decided to take a shot. I'm sorry, I'm being horrible. Do you guys want to come in, have a drink or something?"

“No, thank you. I was just about to take this little guy to his mother. Just wanted to come say hi to the new neighbors in town. And, I think it’s better if I take him now. My phone is vibrating and I’m pretty sure it’s her.”

“Go on then. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”- I say, pointing to the kids that are having a conversation on one of the steps of the few stairs we have outside.

“Yeah, I have that feeling as well. It was nice to meet you, Alexa.”

“Likewise, Rick. Goodbye.”

“Bye. Come on, Carl. Your mother is already calling me.”

“Can’t we stay a bit more?”- He asks his dad with pleading eyes.

“I’m sorry, son. Hey, you’ll see them again. You’re just a few houses down.”

“Ok. Goodbye, Leah.”

“Goodbye, Carl. It was nice to meet you. And you too, Mr. Rick.”

“It was nice to meet you too, sweetheart. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Leah walks up to me and we watch as father and son walk down the street and turn to a house that is indeed just three houses down mine. I and my daughter walk back inside ours and I call the pizza place. While we wait for it, we watch some TV. Twenty minutes later, the pizza arrives. I pay for it and we begin eating. When we are done, Leah soon falls asleep on my lap. I pick her up and take her to her bed. I change her into her pj's, lay her down, tuck her in, kiss her forehead, turn her light off and go to my room, leaving both doors a bit open in case she needs something. I also change and lay on my bed. I need the rest because tomorrow, we are going school searching.

 

 

**PJ's**

****


	7. Chapter 4

 

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“So… how do you like your new school, baby?”

“I really like it, mommy. Everyone seems nice. I hope the other kids are too.”

“They will, I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah.”

We smile at each other and continue on our way home. We are just coming back from signing her at school, and instead of taking the car, we decided to walk, since it’s not really that far.

A few minutes later, my phone starts to ring. I take it out from my purse and look at the caller ID. It’s from work, so I answer it immediately.

“Hello?… Yes, hi. How are you doing?… I’m good, too, thank you. Hum, is there any problem?… Oh, hum, yeah, sure. Can you give me ten minutes, give or take?… Awesome, thank you. Oh! Do you mind if I take my daughter with me? We just came from her school, and I don’t have anywhere to leave her… Alright, thank you so much. See you in a few minutes, then. Bye.”

I hang up and put the phone back in the purse.

“Who was it, mommy.”

"Work. Mommy has to go there to talk a bit with the boss about some last-minute things. Do you mind?"

“No. But… where will I go?”

"You're going with me, of course. It won't take long and then we can go get some ice-cream. Deal?"

“Deal.”

I ruffle her hair a bit and we walk home. I need to get the car, since the walk to there would be long and tiring, especially for Leah.

A five and a half minute drive later, I'm parking my car in the parking lot of my new workplace. Picking up my purse, I get out of the car, help Leah out, lock it, and we both walk inside. I see a lady by the front desk and walk there. She looks up when she hears us and smiles.

“Good morning. How can I help you?”

“Good morning. I got a call from Chief Murray, he told me he needed to talk to me?”

“Can I have your name, please?”

“Alexa. Alexa Morton.”

“Just a minute, please.”- She makes a call and talks a bit on the phone. After hanging up, she smiles up at me.- “Chief Murray will see you now. It’s down that hall, second door on the right. You’ll see the plaque.”

“Alright, thank you. Hum, do you know where my daughter can wait? We are still new in the town, and I didn’t have anywhere to leave her, so Chief Murray told me I could bring her here…”

"She can stay with me if you want?"

“She won’t get in the way of your job?”

“Of course not. To tell you the truth, it will be a nice distraction from all of this annoying paperwork.”

She laughs and I chuckle. She introduces herself to us as Officer Beverly Boyd, and I introduce Leah. After, I walk down the hall and knock on the door. I hear a voice tell me to come in, and after taking a deep breath, I open the door and get inside. _Let’s do this._

 


	8. Chapter 5

 

**Rick’s P.O.V.**

“This case is going to be a hard one. No one saw anything, the lady is in pretty bad condition…”

“Yeah.”- I answer Shane absentmindedly. It’s the day after that strange call, and I'm still thinking about it since I haven't had the chance to talk to Mandy yet. 

“Rick, man. Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday.”

“I’m fine, Shane, don’t worry.”- I look down at the papers in my hand.- “I’m going to check these results, you see if you can find anything from the CCTV.”

“Sure thing. Oh, hello. Who is this cutie?”- I hear him ask.- “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Leah.”

I stop in my tracks and look back at the front desk. I can see Beverly and someone sitting on her lap.

“Leah, what a pretty name. I’m Officer Shane Walsh. I-”

“Leah?”- I ask her, surprised to see that it is indeed Alexa’s daughter. She looks at me and smiles.

“Hi, Mr. Rick.”

“What are you doing here? Where’s your mom?”

“She’s talking with her new boss.”

“New boss? Does it mean that Alexa is the new transfer?”

“Hum, do you mind telling us what’s going on.”

I look at Shane, and with a small smile, explain to him.

"I met Leah and her mother, Alexa, yesterday when I went to drop off Carl at Lori's. They just moved into town. Do you remember that Mr. and Mrs. Gordon's house was for sale?"

“Yeah, and it’s just a few houses up from Lori.”

“Exactly. They are living there. And now, if Alexa is talking to the Chief, her new boss like Leah said, it means that she’s the new transfer everyone was talking about.”

“Wow. What a coincidence, huh?”

“Yeah. Hey-”

“Alright, Beverly, I’m all done and can take Leah from you now.”- She’s coming up the hallway, searching for something in her purse. She hasn’t looked up yet, so she hasn’t seen me.- “I hope she wasn’t-”- She finally looks up and sees me. A surprised look crosses her face, but is soon replaced with a smile.- “Rick?”

“Hi, Alexa.”

We keep looking and smiling at each other, not seeing the look shared by Shane and Beverly.


	9. Chapter 6

 

_ A few days later _

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“Are you excited, mommy?”

“I am. What about you? Are you excited to make new friends?”

“Yes!”

She yells while throwing her arms up. I chuckle and finish helping her with her backpack. Today is our first day. Mine at work, and hers at school. And we are both pretty excited.

“Alright, baby. In these first few days, I’m going to be dropping and picking you up from school. But after that, we have to find a solution.”

“I know, mommy.”

"Alright. Let's get going before we get late."

“Yeah, and we can’t be late on the first day. It’s bad.”

I nod, grab her hand and we leave the house. As I’m locking the door, I hear someone calling for my daughter. Looking to my left, I see Rick’s son coming out of his house with, who I assume is his mother. He waves at us with a smile on his face, and we wave back.  _Maybe it’s finally time I introduce myself…_ Leah and I walk the short distance between our house and smile at the other duo.

“Good morning, Carl. And I believe you’re Lori, yes?”

“Hum, yes. And you are?”

“Mom, these are Leah and Miss Alexa. I’ve told you about them, remember?”

The little boy looks at his mom and she stares at him, trying to remember if he did or not. Then, she nods and smiles at him, looking at me after.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, he did tell me about you. I just have some things on my mind. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. Are you taking Carl to school?”

“Yes, we are actually getting late.”

I look at my watch, and my eyes widen.  _What? We've just been here for two minutes!_

“Yes, we are as well. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, and I guess we will be seeing each other around.”

“I guess so. Bye. Come on, Carl.”

"Bye. Let's go, Leah."

We each walk to our cars and drive to school. I don't really know where Carl's school is, so I don't know how long is the drive there. Well, there is until I see Lori saying goodbye to Carl at the entrance of Leah's school. We approach them and they look surprised to see us.

“You’re in this school, Leah!”- Asks an excited Carl.

“Yeah.”

“Me too! Come on, I’ll show you around. Bye, mom! Bye, Miss Alexa!”

“Bye, mommy! Bye, Carl’s mommy!”

We chuckle and wave at them. I look at Lori and she seems a bit paler.

“Hey, Lori. Are you feeling well?”

She looks at me startled, but nods.

“Yeah, I just didn’t eat this morning. I woke up a bit later than usual and just had time to make something for Carl.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m fine. But thank you for asking.”

“You’re welcome. Well, have to get to work now, I guess.”

“Where are you working, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Not at all. I’ll be working with Rick, actually.”

“Really? Carl didn’t tell me you are a cop.”

"Yeah, he doesn't know. I didn't know that Rick was one until a few days ago when I saw him at the station when I went there to talk with Chief Murray."

“Well, I’m sure you are going to like it. They are all very good workers, and your boss is a very nice man.”

“I’m sure as well. I really have to go now, but, if you want, we could meet up one of these days for some coffee or something? Our kids seem to be getting along nicely, and I would like to get to know you. But, only if you want, of course.”

“Sure, it sounds nice.”

“Great! Hum, here’s my number, call or text me and we will talk better about it.”

“Alright. Have a nice day.”

“You too. Bye, Lori.”

“Bye, Alexa.”

I walk to my car, start it and begin to drive to the police station. Like my daughter said, it’s bad to be late on your first day, but luckily, I still have about ten minutes. After parking my car and locking it, I make my way inside and am met with the smiling face of Beverly.

“Good morning, Alexa. Chief Murray is waiting for you in his office.”

“Good morning, Beverly. Alright, thank you.”

Walking to his office, I knock on the door and wait for his response.

“ _Come in!”_

I open the door and walk inside, smiling at my boss.

“Good morning, Chief.”

“Good morning, Alexa. How are you feeling? Nervous?”

“I’m getting a little bit nervous now, yes, but mostly excited.”

"Good. Well, I called you here to give you your things. Here's your [uniform, patches, badge, nameplate, shirt pins, and work boots](https://i.ibb.co/F5VtV57/chapter-6-alexa-s-uniform.png). They're your size, so they should fit, but if for some reason they don't, tell Beverly and she'll get you new ones."

“Alright, thank you.”

“Now. Let’s go meet your new co-workers?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. Let’s go then.”- I follow him out of his office and down a different corridor. We get to the conference room, where I see all of my co-worker's sitting and talking among themselves. But they go silent as soon as Chief Murray opens the door and we both get inside.- “Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for being here. As you’ve all heard, we were expecting a new transfer from Atlanta PD. Well, she has arrived and I want to introduce you all to our new officer-” - He motions me forward and I walk to his side.- “- Alexa Morton. Now, show her what it’s like to be a part of our family, will you? Thank you all, and you can go back to work. Everyone but you two, Grimes and Walsh. You two come here, please.”

I watch as Rick and his friend Shane walk to us. Rick smiles at me and I smile back at him.

“Good morning, Chief. What do you need us for?”

“Good morning, Officer Grimes. Well, since you are two of my best officers, I decided to partner you both with Officer Morton. I hope you treat with respect and help her with whatever she needs.”

"Yes, sir. We'll do everything we can to make her feel home."

“Good. Now, back to work gentleman. And lady.”

He goes back to his office and Rick and Shane lead me to their joined office.

“Guess we have to get a new table here, huh Rick?”

“If Alexa doesn’t mind sharing the office with us, sure.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“Alright, I’m going to see where I can get one. Be right back.”- We nod at Shane and he walks out. But not before peaking his head in again.- “And behave, you two.”

He closes the door just in time, before the paperweight Rick threw at him could hit him in the face. We could hear his laughter and I see Rick shake his head.

“Don’t mind him. He’s an idiot.”

“It’s fine. I worked with guys like him, I’m used to it. And they are kind of fun to be around.”

“Sometimes. But, let’s talk about your first day. Nervous?”

“A bit, but mostly excited.”

“Great. But hey, come with me. I’ll show you the lockers, where you can change and put your things.”

I look down at myself and see that I’m still wearing my normal clothes. I smile and follow him to the lockers. On the right is the female locker room, and on the left is the male. He said he would wait for me to change, so I do it quickly and we are soon walking back to our office, where Shane already is looking at some papers. He looks up when he hears us and waves the papers around.

“Glad you guys could join me back. We have work.”

Rick looks at me and places his hand on my shoulder.

“Ready to begin, partner?”

I look at him and nod.

“Ready.”

"Great. Let's get started then."

They sit at their desks while I sit on top of Rick’s and read the papers.  _Let’s begin._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably not that great, but it was the best I could do while being sick :( Sorry.


	10. Chapter 7

 

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“Thank you for taking us with you. We really had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad you did. We enjoyed your company as well.”

We are now on our way back to King County, this time Rick is driving while I’m messing with the radio and the kids are sleeping in the back.

“So...”- He begins.- “Do you have any plans for Friday?”

“No, not really. Why?”

“We usually make a big barbecue in the neighborhood to celebrate. I was thinking that maybe you and Leah could come? I mean, if you want to, of course.”

“Yeah, it sounds fun. I’m working until six, but it still gives me time, right?”

"Plenty. It only starts at seven, seven-thirty."

“Great. We’ll be there, then.”

“Awesome. You’re going to love it, everyone’s very welcoming.”

“I hope so, I haven’t met many people yet.”

“You will at the party. And Leah will meet more kids her age and Carl’s.”

“Yeah. Maybe that will also help her come out of her shell.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s like me when I was a little girl. Very introverted. The only time she’s really herself is when she’s with me and my sister.”

“Well, she became friends with Carl fast...”

“She did, and that surprised me. Maybe he’s helping her.”

“Maybe he is.”

We share a smile and a glance at the kids. They're still sleeping and they look absolutely adorable.

“Are you dropping him off at Lori’s?”

“Yeah, but only after dinner. Which I would like to invite you to. My treat.”

“You don’t have to pay.”

"I do. You paid for our lunch the other day. Now's my turn."

“Alright, alright.”

He grins and drives to the same restaurant we ate a few days ago. He parks and we each wake our sleeping babies. We then walk inside the place, the kids still half asleep. Soon, we are seated and waiting for our food to come. Rick and I talk a bit more about ourselves and get to know each other. We have quite a bit in common, like we both like football (me maybe a bit more than him, though), spend time with our family, which is quite obvious, comedy movies, and more.

Our food finally arrives and we start eating. Halfway through our meal, I hear footsteps approaching our table, followed by a female voice.

“Rick Grimes? Is that you?”

We both look up from our food to see a woman looking at Rick, a smile on her face. I have to admit, she’s beautiful.

“Mandy?”

“It is you! Oh my God! It’s been so long!”

He gets up from the chair and embraces her, chuckling.

“It has. How are you?”

“I’m good, what about you? I heard you married Lori?”

“I did, but we got divorced recently. Other than that, I’m fine. God, I can’t believe it. What are you doing back in King County?”

“Oh, what can I say? I missed my old town.”

“That means you’re back?”

“I am. And guess where I’m going to work?”

“Really?”

“Yep. I’m going to join the King County Sheriff Department.”

“That’s amazing!”- I finally clear my throat and they look at me and the kids. I smile at them and Rick motions to us.- “Right! Mandy, this is my son, Carl, and our friends, Alexa and her daughter Leah. And this is my old friend, Mandy Bennett.”

“Nice to meet you.”- I say, offering her my hand for her to shake. She looks at me and then at my hand, before slowly shaking it.

“Likewise. So Rick, tell me. Do you guys still make the Fourth of July barbecue?”- She asks him, completely ignoring me and the kids again. I roll my eyes.

“We do. I just invited Alexa and Leah for it. And now, you’re too, of course.”

“Great! Well, I better get going, I don’t want to disturb your dinner anymore.”

“Oh no, you don’t disturb at all.”

“It’s alright, Rick. I have to go. But, I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow, then. It was great to see you again.”

“You too.”- She hugs him and kisses his cheek, making me narrow my eyes. _He’s not yours, Alexa. He’s not yours._ She then looks at me and gives me a fake smile. I reciprocate the gesture.- “It was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise.”

She waves goodbye and Rick sits back down. I continue eating, even if I lost a bit of my appetite.

“Man, I haven’t seen that girl in years.”

“You seemed close.”

"We were. Her, Shane and I were colleagues in the academy. We became great friends."

“She said that she came back? Where was she before?"

“When we graduated, she left to Washington. Got a better job offer.”

“Ah. Well, I hope she's as good as you and helps protect the town."

“She is, trust me.”

I nod and we finish eating. When we are done, Rick pays like he said, even after I insisted I could pay half. This time, I drive us to my home and he and Carl then leave. I help Leah get ready for bed and I get ready myself. I can’t shake the feeling that that woman is bad news...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me so long...again. And I'm sorry. It's just that I come home from work late and tired, and recently, my dog got very sick and I was in no mood to write because I was so worried about him.
> 
> Again, I'm sorry it's a short one, (probably not that great), and it so long...


	11. Chapter 8

 

**Alexa’s P.O.V.**

“Alright, baby girl. Behave, always listen to your teachers, and eat your lunch. Mommy will pick you up when school’s over, okay?”

“Okay, mommy. Bye!”

“Bye!”- I get up from kneeling before her and watch as she runs to one of the workers, who smiles at her.- “I love you!”

I yell at her. She looks back and waves, yelling back.

“I wove you too, mommy!”

I chuckle and get inside the car. Is it bad that I don’t want her to grow up? Like, ever? I want her to stay just like this, forever. Then again, I think this is the thought of many, many parents.  _Oh well._ Shrugging, I start the car and begin driving to work. This weekend off was good, but I miss working. I love to help people, and my colleagues are all nice and made me feel welcome since day one. 

Arriving at the hospital, I park my car, exit it, grab my things and lock it. There are already a lot of cars here and some ambulances so I know it’s going to be a busy day. 

“Alexa! So glad you’re finally here. We have an emergency and I need you.”

“Good morning, Maria. Let me just change and I’ll be right with you.”

"I'm sorry sweetheart, good morning. Change quickly and meet me in room 213."

“I’ll be right there.”- We go our separate ways and I quickly get changed to my scrubs. Walking to 213, I get inside and there’s already a lot of movement. Spotting Maria, I walk to her.- “I’m here. What’s going on?”

“Josephine Nichols, 42 years old. Victim of a hit-and-run, has severe internal bleeding, a bad concussion, broken ribs, and a broken arm. We’re taking her to surgery now.”

“Alright. Let’s go then.”

_ After the surgery _

“Now we just have to wait and see how she does. That concussion is pretty serious.”

“We need to have hope, Maria. She’s-” 

“Oh, oh, oh! Hot cop alert!”

Both Maria and I look at Regina with an  _are you serious?_ look. Glancing to where she’s staring at, a smile grows on my lips at seeing who it is. But it fades a little when I see who’s walking behind him.

“That’s Rick. What is he doing here?”

“I see you already met Officer Grimes?”- Maria asks me.

“Yeah. His ex-wife is my neighbor.”

“And how did you meet him?”

“Leah and I were just arriving home and she saw Carl, his son. They became friends, and when she saw him getting inside his house, she just started running down the street and, before she could cross the road, he caught her. And we became friends.”

“I know him for a few years, he and Shane are friends with my brother, Bruce. He's a good guy. And now he's single. And I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about her."- Reggie tells me while wiggling her eyebrows. I roll my eyes. 

“We’re just friends. I’m going to see what he needs.”- I hear her whisper _you_ , making me shake my head. When he sees me he smiles, making me smile back.- “Hi, Rick. What are you doing here?”

**Rick’s P.O.V.**

I sigh and rub my eyes. It’s still early, but I’m already tired. Looking at the papers again, I suddenly smile, remembering yesterday. I had a lot of fun with Alexa and her family. Carl had too, and that made the day even better. That’s all I want, to see my boy happy.

“Hey, Rick!"- I jump out of my thoughts by Shane barging in my office.- "We got a call about a hit-and-run. The victim is at the hospital, the boss told us to go see if she's awake and if she saw something before getting hit.." 

“Alright. Let me grab the keys and I’ll meet you at the car.”

“Okay. Oh! By the way, Mandy’s joining us.”

“That’s good. Let’s how she does.”

I get up from the chair, grab my jacket and car keys, and follow Shane to the parking lot. Mandy is already there, waiting by the car.

“Ready, partners?”-She asks us, placing her hand on my arm.

I smile at her and we get inside the car. The ride to the hospital is filled with small chatter, mostly her telling how the town didn't change a bit. When we arrive, we walk inside and I go to the front desk. Clearing my throat, I smile at the nurse sitting there.

“Good morning, Officer Grimes. How can I help you?”

“Good morning. We got a call about a hit-and-run and they told us the victim was brought here?”

"Yes, she was. Oh, look. One of the nurses that are taking care of her is coming here."

I look up and see Alexa coming towards us. A smile grows on my lips, as well as in hers, but I notice that hers fade a little. That’s when I feel two presences beside me.

“Hi, Rick. What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Alexa. I’m here on duty. We’re here about the hit-and-run. We’d like to talk to the victim.”

“Ah, yes. But, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“And why’s that, Alexandra?”

We both look at Mandy. Me with raised eyebrows due to her tone of voice, and Alexa with an annoyed expression.

“Well, Sandy, because she’s resting. She’s has a severe concussion and multiple broken bones. So, she’s sleeping, and won’t be waking up so soon.”

We hear a snort and look at Shane, who’s trying to contain his laughter.

“Can’t you wake her up?”

"Mandy-"- I begin, but I am interrupted by Alexa.

"No. So, unless you want to sit here and wait until she wakes up, which can take hours or days, I suggest you leave. It was good to see you, Rick. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more patients to see.”

“Bitch.”

I hear Mandy mumble and shot her a glare. I speed walk after Alexa, who’s almost running away from us.

"Alexa, wait! Alexa!"- I grab her arm and turn her around. She looks even more annoyed.- "Hey, I'm sorry about her. I'll make sure to talk to her."

“It’s not your fault.”- She appears to calm down and my hand, unconsciously, slides down her arm and I wrap my hand around hers.

“So...she can take days to wake up?”

She rolls her eyes, but a small smile makes it's way to her lips.

“Maybe I exaggerated a bit. I’m sorry about that. She just pissed me off when she asked if I couldn’t wake her, you know?”

“I know, I’m going to talk to her about it. Can you call me as soon as she wakes up?”

"Of course. Either I or one of the other nurses will call you guys immediately."

"Good, we'll be waiting then."- Once again, we smile at each other. For some reason, I have the urge to kiss her. I don't know where it came from or why it just did. A throat clearing makes us let go of each other and we look at Shane.

“Sorry to interrupt. Shall we go, man?”

“Yeah, yeah. By the way, Shane, this is Alexa Morton. Alexa, this is my best friend and partner, Shane Walsh.”

“Pleasure to meet you, beautiful.”- I roll my eyes at him and she chuckles.

“Likewise. Now, if you’ll excuse, I have to go see my patients. Just like I said before.”

“Go on. Talk later?”

“Yeah. Are you picking up Carl from school?”

“I am.”

“I’ll see you there, then.”

“See you there.”

We say goodbye and we watch as she walks away.

“She’s hot.”

“Shut up, Shane. And stay away from her.”

“Why? You want her for yourself?”- I know he’s teasing me, but it still makes me upset.

“No. I just know how you are with women, and I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“Come on, man. She can be the love of my life.”

“Stay. Away. From her. I’m warning you.”

“I’m just messing with you, brother. I already have my eyes set on someone else. I’m just waiting for the right moment.”

I look at him surprised. That's new. Usually, he doesn't wait to make a move.

“Really? Do I know her? Or him? Who knows.”

“Haha, so funny. But, yes, you know her. And, no. I’m not telling you who she is. Not yet.”

"Fine, fine. Now let's go. I need to talk to Mandy."

"Mandy or Sandy? I was so ready for a catfight."

I shake my head and we walk to the front desk again. Mandy is still there and smiles at me. I don’t smile back and she frowns. Yeah, we’re going to have a serious talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, not that good...sorry


End file.
